Duke owns Michigan State

Michigan State forward Adreian Payne (5) and guard Keith Appling leave on a cart after a regional semifinal against Duke in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 30, 2013, in Indianapolis. Duke won 71-61. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

There are two ways of looking at Michigan Stateís season in the aftermath of the Spartansí Sweet 16 loss to Duke Friday.

One is the Spartans entered it needing to replace Draymond Green, a truly brilliant leader, who was a first-team All-American, and as such, MSU overachieved in 2012-13.

Another is the Spartans emerged unexpectedly as a team that came close to winning the most rugged Big Ten basketball races in recent memory. And MSU was a legitimate Top 10 team during the regular season, yet was knocked out in the Sweet 16 the second straight year.

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Tom Izzo, MSUís ever-fiery coach, talked before Fridayís game about how Duke doesnít beat itself. ďYou have to beat Duke,Ē he said.

The Spartans didnít even come close to doing that. They didnít shoot well. It was surprising how easily Duke was able to run the floor. State just didnít get back to defend well. The length of Dukeís tall players inside bothered MSUís 270-pound center Derrick Nix, who was ineffective.

It was a game the Spartans needed a star player to step forward - like Green did, or Mateen Cleaves when they won their national championship under Izzo years ago, or like Trey Burke did for Michigan Friday.

It just didnít happen.

You could say it is back to the drawing board for Izzo. He has scholarships to give, but no incoming recruits. That can be a good thing, even at this late stage, as he tries to piece together his team for next year.

Nix is done for sure, his eligibility used up, but what about freshman sensation Gary Harris? The Spartansí success next season is no less dependent on whether Harris, who has vaulted up the charts as a possible lottery pick in the NBA Draft, than Michiganís was this past season on whether Burke returned. Adreian Payne is a junior. He just started to develop into a top player this season. Youíd think heíd stay, but Payne is a rare combination of size, athleticism and shooting touch. He might be more intriguing to NBA teams than anybody could have possibly imagined in October.

Izzoís success at Michigan State has been so extraordinary that reaching the Sweet 16 is consider passť. It is not, of course, but there are few final frontiers Izzo hasnít passed. Itís almost like everything short of a national title is disappointing at this stage.

The ACC powers - Duke and North Carolina - have owned the Spartans. He has an NCAA tournament victory over Duke on his resume, but otherwise Fridayís Duke-MSU game was typical of when the two teams meet. Duke controlled the tempo, was more poised and appeared like it belonged on the big stage just a bit more.

North Carolina has similarly beaten Izzoís teams down through the years, including the NCAA title game a few years ago at Ford Field.

The Spartansí Achilles heel this season was point guard play. They had a strong inside-out game going with Nix and Payne inside, and Harris from the outside, but point guards Keith Appling and Travis Trice were average.

Branden Dawson did not become the star many expected after returning from his knee injury late last season. He has said he will return.

A word to wise: Never count Izzo out. When it doesnít look good, he finds a way. The Spartans havenít had many down seasons on his watch, and they bounce back remarkably quickly from their disappointments.

The Michigan factor is very much in play right - the Wolverines have gone further than the Spartans in the NCAA tournament and have another celebrated recruiting class coming in, which should, to a degree, offset the anticipated loss of Burke.

But the Spartans will be back next season as a strong team. They could a major contender if Harris returns.

Pat Caputo is a senior sports reporter and a columnist for The Oakland Press. Contact him at pat.caputo@oakpress.com and read his blog at theoaklandpress.com. You can follow him on Twitter @patcaputo98